Red Shoal Island
Hearing Sakura agree, Headman Soga's face lit up with joy, quickly followed by renewed worry. "Now that the Ōkami Shinju has been damaged," he fretted, "can the curse be broken quickly? I fear it might reactivate soon..."
"Ah, actually, you probably don't need to worry too much about that," Sakura reassured him. "Based on my observations, the roots of that structure go incredibly deep; the 'torii' is just the very top part sticking out. I don't think damaging the exposed section will affect its core function." Besides, she thought privately, I don't even know what Seijutsu is yet, how could I possibly break a curse related to it?
"Is that so? Such a thing is possible?" Headman Soga asked, surprised.
"Yes, I observed it myself. Hadn't anyone here noticed before?" Sakura inquired.
"Well... no one has ever dared to disturb that structure," Soga admitted. "If what you say is true, then I can rest easier for now." His brow unfurrowed slightly; finally, some good news.
"In that case," Sakura continued, "I'll need to take a small sample of the Ōkami Shinju for research purposes. I trust you won't object?"
"Not at all! Take whatever you need!" Soga exclaimed, breaking into a hearty laugh. "If you can break this curse, you can have the whole blasted thing for all I care!"
"Understood. Well then, I'll take my leave for now," Sakura said, standing up. "We'll remain here for another two days. If the monsters don't reappear by then, we can consider this mission successfully concluded."
By the time Sakura left Headman Soga's residence, the sky was just beginning to brighten with the first light of dawn. Despite the early hour, Red Shoal Town was already bustling with activity. With the monster threat seemingly resolved, people were eagerly preparing to set sail again.
Sakura had instructed Ryuichi to prevent the merchants from leaving for two days, just to be absolutely certain it was safe. However, this couldn't dampen their excited spirits, and everyone was busy preparing supplies for departure.
A wave of exhaustion washed over Sakura. After the intense battle throughout the night, she was hitting her limit. She hurried back to the ship they had arrived on, found an empty cabin, and promptly collapsed onto the bunk, falling into a deep sleep almost instantly.
Although Headman Soga had revealed some of Red Shoal Island's secrets, his answers had only opened the door to even bigger questions.
What was the Ōkami Shinju? What lay hidden in its unfathomable depths beneath the island?
The Tsugami Clan had exiled the Soga clan here specifically to guard the Ōkami Shinju, even placing a curse upon them to ensure their eternal servitude. This implied the Ōkami Shinju was incredibly important to the Tsugami. What was the connection between them?
But the Tsugami Clan was supposedly extinct. And their only known potential descendants, the Soga clan, had suffered a break in their historical records due to the curse and the deliberate destruction of texts. The truth seemed lost to time.
Yet, even with the Tsugami gone, the Ōkami Shinju – possibly their creation – remained.
Kaiyuki had claimed the Ōkami Shinju contained Seijutsu. Connecting this with the strange energy signature she'd detected over the past few days, Sakura hypothesized that this unknown energy was Seijutsu, or at least related to it.
Refining her theory, Sakura suspected the energy might be what powered Seijutsu, much like chakra fueled ninjutsu. Perhaps the Kaiyuki, being fundamentally beasts, lacked the nuanced understanding to differentiate, simply referring to the potent energy itself as Seijutsu. Based on the limited information available, this felt like the most plausible explanation for now.
Complicating matters, only Shino's insects seemed capable of perceiving this energy; even the Byakugan couldn't see it. Wait, Sakura reconsidered, that might not be right either. Given the Ōkami Shinju's observed effect on biological growth, maybe Shino's insects weren't sensing the energy directly, but were being strongly affected by it, causing their agitation.
Then there was Hiroaki's story about this place once being a continent. Sakura had initially dismissed it as folklore, but the confirmed existence of Seijutsu – an energy system entirely separate from chakra – made the idea of ancient, forgotten landmasses seem strangely more plausible.
Her initial assessment of the Kaiyuki leader, and by extension Seijutsu, might have been flawed. That old Kaiyuki wasn't weak; its predictive dodging ability was easily Jonin-level. It was simply old and its physical reactions couldn't keep up. A younger, prime specimen might have posed a much greater challenge. She might have underestimated the true potential of Seijutsu.
Ōkami Shinju, Seijutsu, the Tsugami Clan, the curse, the Red Shoal Continent... More and more questions piled up. Sakura had thought she was close to uncovering the island's secrets, but peeling back one layer had only revealed a deeper, more complex mystery beneath.
Normally, delving into ancient historical enigmas wouldn't be her priority right now, not with the looming threat of Kaguya. She'd typically table her curiosity until after the major crisis was resolved. But the discovery of another energy system, Seijutsu, potentially rivaling chakra in power and having once flourished on this planet, changed everything.
Was Seijutsu contemporary with chakra? Did it predate Kaguya's arrival, or come after? Perhaps they existed simultaneously, never interacting simply due to the vastness of the planet. Sakura leaned towards the latter theory; the fact that the Soga clan was exiled here suggested this location was likely remote, far from the heartland of the Tsugami civilization.
Two days later, Sakura stood on the dock, bidding farewell to Headman Soga.
"I'm entrusting everything to you," Soga said, his voice laced with lingering anxiety.
"Hahaha," Sakura laughed lightly. "Well, as I said, I can only try my best, but I promise I will." Besides, she added silently, understanding this curse might be key to understanding Seijutsu itself.
"I won't say more superfluous words. Just give this letter to the Lord of Chino Castle. He will cooperate with you," Soga said, handing Sakura a sealed envelope.
"Understood," Sakura nodded, taking the letter. "And when the time comes, I'll need your cooperation regarding the samples." Collecting Headman Soga's blood was essential; the genetics of a potential Tsugami descendant were definitely worth studying. Lacking the proper equipment here, she'd arrange for Lord Tadao to handle the collection in Ise Town.
"We're setting sail, Captain Haruno! Please hurry aboard!" Ryuichi called from the deck of the ship.
"Well then, Headman, please head back. I will keep my promise in mind," Sakura said, offering a reassuring smile to the worried old man.
"Yes. Have a safe journey," Soga replied, nodding.
Once Sakura and her team were aboard, Kiba immediately started complaining. "Why are we bringing these chunks of wood back? Shino, I can maybe understand, but you too, Sakura? We used up all the sealing scrolls on monster corpses and wood."
"Kiba, if it were feasible, I would have hauled that entire Ōkami Shinju back to Konoha," Sakura retorted, hefting the roughly meter-long piece of dark, ancient wood she carried strapped to her back like a large scroll.
In the end, both Sakura and Shino had each carefully cut a section from one of the corners of the Ōkami Shinju's base. Rigged with ropes, they carried the samples slung across their backs.
Shino had explained he wanted to see if the wood could be used to cultivate new, enhanced breeds of his kikaichū insects. Sakura had readily agreed; strengthening Konoha's overall combat potential was always a plus, and they could potentially collaborate on research. Shino's insects might reveal something she couldn't perceive.
"Ah, I give up on you two," Kiba sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up. "Hinata, what do you make of all this?"
"Sakura-chan must have her reasons," Hinata said softly, blushing slightly. "If it were possible... I would have liked to ask for a small piece too." She had hesitated, feeling that despite Soga's permission, his earlier anger made his offer seem more like reluctant politeness than genuine willingness. As someone raised in a major clan, she felt awkward imposing further.
As the ship slowly pulled away from the dock, Sakura felt a wave of relief wash over her. The mission was complete, more or less without major incident.
Yet, so many mysteries remained, waiting to be explored.